Habitat Improve your hunting land!

Whether you're planting your first food plot, working on forest stand improvement, or preparing for a prescribed burn, the NDA has the information you need to help you be successful. We rely on the latest research and experts in their field to bring you the most reliable, up-to-date information on managing your land for the benefit of white-tailed deer and other wildlife.

Habitat

3 Simple Food Plot Options for Fall Deer Attraction

Jul 19, 2023 Ben Westfall

Believe it or not, fall food plot planting season is right around the corner in much of the country, so now is the perfect time to consider what’s next on the menu. Here are three…

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Habitat

5 Reasons Deer Are Not Touching Your Food Plots

Jun 21, 2023 Nick Pinizzotto

I was bursting with anticipation as I settled into my stand overlooking an interior food plot I had planted for the first time a couple months earlier. A year prior, the old natural gas well…

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The Right and Wrong of Hinge Cutting for Deer Habitat

Feb 22, 2023 Zack Vucurevich

As I travel the country working with landowners to improve deer herds and habitat, the one management technique I see overused, mismanaged and misunderstood the most is hinge cutting.  There is a time and a…

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The Three Most Dangerous Hinge Cut Safety Mistakes

Feb 13, 2023 NDA Staff

Hinge cutting is a popular and useful tool for improving deer habitat. It can also involve significant risk of injury since chainsaws and trees are involved. Luckily there are some very simple rules that can…

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Maximize Clover Food Plots for Deer with Winter Maintenance Now

Feb 1, 2023 Mark Turner

Perennial clover is perhaps the most popular food plot planting for deer, and with good reason! Clover food plots provide attraction during hunting season, high-quality forage during spring and early summer, and several years of…

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Food Plots, Feed or Fire: The Real Costs Per Pound of Deer Forage

Jan 18, 2023 Dr. Marcus Lashley and Jordan Nanney

Prescribed fire is one of the most useful deer habitat management tools. In our experience, members of the National Deer Association are well-versed at this point in prescribed fire’s benefits. However, there are still some…

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Is Craig Harper’s FSI Cocktail Safe for Non-Target Trees?

Jan 9, 2023 NDA Staff

You can quickly restore sunlight to a closed-canopy forest to fuel deer forage production – a technique called “Forest Stand Improvement” (FSI). We recommend girdling and spraying select trees to kill them standing using an…

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Avoid Brassica Food Plot Failure With These Simple Steps

Aug 24, 2022 Mark Turner

Approaching the food plot, I was shocked by what I saw: an entire field of yellowing turnip and radish leaves. I wondered if I had skimped on fertilizer. Or perhaps I had applied soil-active herbicide…

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15-Acre Fixer-Upper: What I Learned the First Year

Jul 27, 2022 Brian Grossman

It’s hard to believe a year has already come and gone since my wife and I closed on our new home and 15-acre property in west-central Georgia. We’ve accomplished a lot in those first 12…

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How to Create a Heat Refuge for Deer

Jul 20, 2022 Zack Vucurevich

When you hear the phrase “thermal cover,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If you are like a majority of deer hunters, you likely pictured a south-facing hillside gathering winter sun, or a…

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